A clutter free/clean house

What do you do to keep your house clean and clutter free? We have a small house that was built in the 20s, 2 bedroom, no dining room, small kitchen, 1 bath! Cleaning is up to me and I feel like I can't keep up. We have a 14 month old and 3 month old and without a dining room we are forced to eat in the living room which means constant crumbs all over in itself. We have a smaller kitchen with room for a small kitchen table but I can't convince DH to get one. Tv and food is how he grew up...drives me nuts. I can't get my DH to get rid of knick knacks and stuff either and I am starting to feel cluttered. What do you do? Any tips?

What do you do to keep your house clean and clutter free? We have a small house that was built in the 20s, 2 bedroom, no dining room, small kitchen, 1 bath! Cleaning is up to me and I feel like I can't keep up. We have a 14 month old and 3 month old and without a dining room we are forced to eat in the living room which means constant crumbs all over in itself. We have a smaller kitchen with room for a small kitchen table but I can't convince DH to get one. Tv and food is how he grew up...drives me nuts. I can't get my DH to get rid of knick knacks and stuff either and I am starting to feel cluttered. What do you do? Any tips?

My honest advice is start throwing away the crap he won't miss. My husband's closet always looks like a bomb went off and I've disposed of over 50 shirts and 20 pairs of shoes, he hasn't even noticed and I have room to maneuver in there now.

My honest advice is start throwing away the crap he won't miss. My husband's closet always looks like a bomb went off and I've disposed of over 50 shirts and 20 pairs of shoes, he hasn't even noticed and I have room to maneuver in there now.

I agree. I throw stuff away all the time without consulting my fiancé. I hate clutter. I grew up in a cluttered home and I couldn't stand it. I don't like having several junk drawers and cabinets or knick-knacks sitting around. I know what my fiancé uses and what he'd never realize was missing. I also get him on board to help me weed things out because he knows I can't stand it. I recently got a big binder for paperwork and receipts that we need to keep so that eliminates piles of paper in a cabinet. We do have one drawer with pens, a tape measure and other miscellaneous items in it, but it is not full of junk. I go through my son's playroom on a regular basis and put away things that he never uses. I'm not getting rid of any of his items because we may have a #2 one day, but I do put things in his closet. My living room floor is constantly converts in crumbs because we do let our son eat snacks without sitting in his chair, but that can easily be swept up so I try not to be too crazy. We really just don't keep things that we never use and that eliminates clutter.

I agree. I throw stuff away all the time without consulting my fiancé. I hate clutter. I grew up in a cluttered home and I couldn't stand it. I don't like having several junk drawers and cabinets or knick-knacks sitting around. I know what my fiancé uses and what he'd never realize was missing. I also get him on board to help me weed things out because he knows I can't stand it. I recently got a big binder for paperwork and receipts that we need to keep so that eliminates piles of paper in a cabinet. We do have one drawer with pens, a tape measure and other miscellaneous items in it, but it is not full of junk. I go through my son's playroom on a regular basis and put away things that he never uses. I'm not getting rid of any of his items because we may have a #2 one day, but I do put things in his closet. My living room floor is constantly converts in crumbs because we do let our son eat snacks without sitting in his chair, but that can easily be swept up so I try not to be too crazy. We really just don't keep things that we never use and that eliminates clutter.

Keeping a clean house is not something that comes natural to me. I think I may even have ADD or something, it's just an activity that I absolutely despise and defies my entire being.

But with three kids and one on the way, I sort of have no choice LOL.

One thing that bothered me was that I always looked at the BIG PICTURE, rather than taking baby steps. I do this with everything in life. I see the big picture first, then work my way back. In some cases, this can be a good thing. When it comes to doing math or cleaning the house, this is a major issue.

Here's what I do. It may sound ridiculous and it may not even help you, but it has helped me tremendously.

For the kitchen, I literally take everything I see, everything that is out of place, dishes, trash, toys, socks, whatever random thing that ends up in the kitchen, I put it on the kitchen table. I do not stop. I don't get sidetracked by putting things where they belong. I just stack up a pile of crap on the kitchen table.

Why? Because we HAVE to use the kitchen table, that's why. Once everything is put on the table, which takes no time at all, I wipe down counters, sweep and mop floors, etc. Then I put the dishes in the dishwasher, trash in the trash can, clothes in the laundry, toys in the kids room, etc. When the table is clear, I wipe it down and have a spotless kitchen.

I do this in every single room. In the living room, everything goes on the coffee table. In bedrooms, everything goes on the bed. This keeps me less overwhelmed so I can actually focus on cleaning, rather than running around like a hamster trying to put stuff away and never actually getting to the cleaning part.

As for your husband's clutter, tell him if he wants a clean house, he's going to have to find a place for his junk. Plain and simple. As for all of the other clutter? Think of the kitchen first. Look at the counter and imagine how nice it would look with everything OFF. Envision what you want it to look like, then find a home for things so they are out of site.

Living room, make a junk basket and put it close to the front door. That way, mail, car keys, random screws your husband pulls out of his pocket (lol) everything can go in one central location. So when it gets full and out of control, you can just clean out the basket, rather than having to collect random items from allover the house.

These are just a few things I do to help me with the house work.

Oh and one more thing. When you have kids, it is SO easy to get distracted and totally forget to put that one empty glass in the sink. It's one glass, right? WRONG. That one glass will turn into a pair of shoes, socks, toys, magazines, etc. Before you know it the house is chaotic. When you set something down, keep it in your mind. Don't let it go. When you are done with it, put it away.....

Keeping a clean house is not something that comes natural to me. I think I may even have ADD or something, it's just an activity that I absolutely despise and defies my entire being.

But with three kids and one on the way, I sort of have no choice LOL.

One thing that bothered me was that I always looked at the BIG PICTURE, rather than taking baby steps. I do this with everything in life. I see the big picture first, then work my way back. In some cases, this can be a good thing. When it comes to doing math or cleaning the house, this is a major issue.

Here's what I do. It may sound ridiculous and it may not even help you, but it has helped me tremendously.

For the kitchen, I literally take everything I see, everything that is out of place, dishes, trash, toys, socks, whatever random thing that ends up in the kitchen, I put it on the kitchen table. I do not stop. I don't get sidetracked by putting things where they belong. I just stack up a pile of crap on the kitchen table.

Why? Because we HAVE to use the kitchen table, that's why. Once everything is put on the table, which takes no time at all, I wipe down counters, sweep and mop floors, etc. Then I put the dishes in the dishwasher, trash in the trash can, clothes in the laundry, toys in the kids room, etc. When the table is clear, I wipe it down and have a spotless kitchen.

I do this in every single room. In the living room, everything goes on the coffee table. In bedrooms, everything goes on the bed. This keeps me less overwhelmed so I can actually focus on cleaning, rather than running around like a hamster trying to put stuff away and never actually getting to the cleaning part.

As for your husband's clutter, tell him if he wants a clean house, he's going to have to find a place for his junk. Plain and simple. As for all of the other clutter? Think of the kitchen first. Look at the counter and imagine how nice it would look with everything OFF. Envision what you want it to look like, then find a home for things so they are out of site.

Living room, make a junk basket and put it close to the front door. That way, mail, car keys, random screws your husband pulls out of his pocket (lol) everything can go in one central location. So when it gets full and out of control, you can just clean out the basket, rather than having to collect random items from allover the house.

These are just a few things I do to help me with the house work.

Oh and one more thing. When you have kids, it is SO easy to get distracted and totally forget to put that one empty glass in the sink. It's one glass, right? WRONG. That one glass will turn into a pair of shoes, socks, toys, magazines, etc. Before you know it the house is chaotic. When you set something down, keep it in your mind. Don't let it go. When you are done with it, put it away.....

I like this idea kal thank you. I will throw away some stuff he won't miss too. If we had a larger house stuff would not be so bad but 1000sq ft for 4 people, 2 large dogs...it doesn't take long. Just did the kitchen and living room...tomorrow will be the bedrooms. DH won't lift a pinky inside the house...I just asked him for an hr a week, let's see how it goes I guess.
Thanks ladies!

I like this idea kal thank you. I will throw away some stuff he won't miss too. If we had a larger house stuff would not be so bad but 1000sq ft for 4 people, 2 large dogs...it doesn't take long. Just did the kitchen and living room...tomorrow will be the bedrooms. DH won't lift a pinky inside the house...I just asked him for an hr a week, let's see how it goes I guess.
Thanks ladies!

Hahaha awesome! My husband is usually at work when I clean so I just get the kids to clear the table:-) When i discovered this tactic I felt like I had found the meaning of life LOL. It's just made cleaning SO much easier!

Hahaha awesome! My husband is usually at work when I clean so I just get the kids to clear the table:-) When i discovered this tactic I felt like I had found the meaning of life LOL. It's just made cleaning SO much easier!

How do we stay clutter free? Lol my husband is in the army and we have moved 5x in the last ten years. We purge a bunch every time we move that way we stay within the weight we are allotted. When we moved in June, we got rid of 1,000lbs of stuff. Literally. We moved to texas with 9,000lbs of stuff and left three years later with 8,000lbs. We had yard sales two weeks in a row and donated a lot to a homeless shelter. As for cleaning, I'm fine with being the one to clean the toilets, vacuum, etc-but everyone in our house is responsible for their own messes. Keeping the house in order is a team effort for us.

How do we stay clutter free? Lol my husband is in the army and we have moved 5x in the last ten years. We purge a bunch every time we move that way we stay within the weight we are allotted. When we moved in June, we got rid of 1,000lbs of stuff. Literally. We moved to texas with 9,000lbs of stuff and left three years later with 8,000lbs. We had yard sales two weeks in a row and donated a lot to a homeless shelter. As for cleaning, I'm fine with being the one to clean the toilets, vacuum, etc-but everyone in our house is responsible for their own messes. Keeping the house in order is a team effort for us.

Yes I agree about buying a table. My family and I always ate dinner at the table and we do the same in our house now except on very rare occasions like a movie night where we will spread out a blanket in the living room floor and have a picnic. When we moved a few months back, I made sure the tv couldn't even be seen from the dining table to keep that from being a distraction.

Yes I agree about buying a table. My family and I always ate dinner at the table and we do the same in our house now except on very rare occasions like a movie night where we will spread out a blanket in the living room floor and have a picnic. When we moved a few months back, I made sure the tv couldn't even be seen from the dining table to keep that from being a distraction.

I'm with heather, buy a table. Eating in front of the TV is not the best way to model positive communication to your children - there are so many studies and books discussing this point. It's so important to teach our children that we take he one to be together as a family and talk.

I'm with heather, buy a table. Eating in front of the TV is not the best way to model positive communication to your children - there are so many studies and books discussing this point. It's so important to teach our children that we take he one to be together as a family and talk.

I also live in a 1950 1200 sq. ft. house. I just keep pairing down. Then pairing down some more. Everything needs to be performing an essential function or be one of a select few decorative things. A kitchen table is important in a house like this. You eat on it, do projects, use the computer, do bills, etc. Under the bed storage boxes, organized toys in bins and containers, furniture with drawers all help, and donate clothes and linens you never use. A small house needs to be almost sparse and streamlined. Clutter makes you feel claustrophobic.

I also live in a 1950 1200 sq. ft. house. I just keep pairing down. Then pairing down some more. Everything needs to be performing an essential function or be one of a select few decorative things. A kitchen table is important in a house like this. You eat on it, do projects, use the computer, do bills, etc. Under the bed storage boxes, organized toys in bins and containers, furniture with drawers all help, and donate clothes and linens you never use. A small house needs to be almost sparse and streamlined. Clutter makes you feel claustrophobic.

I thought everyone cleaned like that! It makes it so much easier to concentrate on one room at a time. I try to *scrub* one room a day to alleviate that overwhelming feeling.
Our dog has turned into the automatic Hoover around mealtimes. I actually caught him on top of the table tonight after clearing the dishes off...he's better than a vacuum because most vacuums don't pick up wet messes. (I have a toddler that likes to throw things.)
As for clutter, a place for everything and everything in its place is my motto. I hate clutter but am a horrible packrat. :)

I thought everyone cleaned like that! It makes it so much easier to concentrate on one room at a time. I try to *scrub* one room a day to alleviate that overwhelming feeling.
Our dog has turned into the automatic Hoover around mealtimes. I actually caught him on top of the table tonight after clearing the dishes off...he's better than a vacuum because most vacuums don't pick up wet messes. (I have a toddler that likes to throw things.)
As for clutter, a place for everything and everything in its place is my motto. I hate clutter but am a horrible packrat. :)

I just started throwing things out. Honestly, if it's something he hasn't seen in a year and can't tell me he wants to keep because he doesn't remember it then it's gone. I'm doing the same with my stuff. I'm getting this house cleared out if it's the last thing I do!

I just started throwing things out. Honestly, if it's something he hasn't seen in a year and can't tell me he wants to keep because he doesn't remember it then it's gone. I'm doing the same with my stuff. I'm getting this house cleared out if it's the last thing I do!

I can't stand clutter and junk! I love clean, organized spaces. You have to just focus on one teeny area at a time. Also, I heard someone on tv say "never go upstairs or downstairs empty handed" because there's always something that needs to be relocated.

I can't stand clutter and junk! I love clean, organized spaces. You have to just focus on one teeny area at a time. Also, I heard someone on tv say "never go upstairs or downstairs empty handed" because there's always something that needs to be relocated.

Yes- get the table. Tell your DH he can try it for 6 months and after that you can talk about what you want to do- I am big on family table time. What if you tell him on Saturday nights you can do dinner in the living room?

Also, try boxing up some of the knick knacks he thinks he can't live without and sticking them in a closet. If he doesn't notice they are missing after a few weeks, chuck or donate them (if they are sentimental obiviously store them but put away). I can't function with too much tchotchke around- it's hard to keep mentally clear if your space is claustrophobically cluttered.

Yes- get the table. Tell your DH he can try it for 6 months and after that you can talk about what you want to do- I am big on family table time. What if you tell him on Saturday nights you can do dinner in the living room?

Also, try boxing up some of the knick knacks he thinks he can't live without and sticking them in a closet. If he doesn't notice they are missing after a few weeks, chuck or donate them (if they are sentimental obiviously store them but put away). I can't function with too much tchotchke around- it's hard to keep mentally clear if your space is claustrophobically cluttered.

Hahaha, my house will not be clutter-free until my kids out grow toys. It's only going to get worse for the next few years, so get used to it ;) We store most of the toys on our sun porch that we don't really use (other than for a couch, toys & a small tv) I have storage bins, the round tubs with the rope handles, these-http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-3-drawer-cart-white-set-of-2/-/A-11861870 & these

Hahaha, my house will not be clutter-free until my kids out grow toys. It's only going to get worse for the next few years, so get used to it ;) We store most of the toys on our sun porch that we don't really use (other than for a couch, toys & a small tv) I have storage bins, the round tubs with the rope handles, these-http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-3-drawer-cart-white-set-of-2/-/A-11861870 & these

I'd start by revoking this veto power your husband seems to have. And buy a table. Eating in front of the TV doesn't exactly open up the lines of communication. Beyond that I have a routine. I clean the house (dusting, vacuuming, mopping, windows, mirrors, toilets etc) every Monday. Takes me a few hours. I sweep the kitchen floor every night. Wipe down the bathroom counters every night. The kids clean their rooms before bed (and toys aren't allowed outside their rooms.) They make their beds every morning. I make a sweep of the house multiple times a day and put away anything out of place. And once a month we purge. Toys, mail, clothes. I make a trip to Goodwill at least once a month. Now, I'm lucky that my husband hates clutter as much as I do but with a house the size of yours it shouldn't be too hard to keep up once you find your groove.

I'd start by revoking this veto power your husband seems to have. And buy a table. Eating in front of the TV doesn't exactly open up the lines of communication. Beyond that I have a routine. I clean the house (dusting, vacuuming, mopping, windows, mirrors, toilets etc) every Monday. Takes me a few hours. I sweep the kitchen floor every night. Wipe down the bathroom counters every night. The kids clean their rooms before bed (and toys aren't allowed outside their rooms.) They make their beds every morning. I make a sweep of the house multiple times a day and put away anything out of place. And once a month we purge. Toys, mail, clothes. I make a trip to Goodwill at least once a month. Now, I'm lucky that my husband hates clutter as much as I do but with a house the size of yours it shouldn't be too hard to keep up once you find your groove.

The material on this website is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or in place of therapy or medical care. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here